


The Rate of Reaction-Cookie Ending

by adoribiliusKermode



Series: The Rate of Reaction [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Identity Reveal, Requited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:01:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21555121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adoribiliusKermode/pseuds/adoribiliusKermode
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: The Rate of Reaction [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1376818
Comments: 8
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

_ Cookies sound great _ , thought Marin as he loaded up his plate. His parents had offered to cater the event, so he knew it was going to be good, but not  _ this _ good. 

“Wow.” Biting into a chocolate-chip-cookie with abandon, he gave a soft groan at the hot, stretchy goodness. The onsite kitchenette ensured the cookies were fresh-baked, so it was nothing but hot buttery chocolatey goodness, all the way down. Finding his fingers coated in chocolate, Marin found himself licking and sucking off his fingers, not willing to part with a single bite. Thoroughly satisfied, all he had to do was sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

“Marin!” Adrienne called as she ran up behind him. “Yeah!”

“Hey!”

“Hey!” Marin narrowed his eyes. “Is..there an issue? Everything okay?”

“I-uh. I just wanted to say, now that the show’s over, um...your costumes looked magnificent. I was proud to wear it up there! You’re really talented.” That wasn’t all she wanted to say, but she couldn’t find a way to say what she was trying to tell him.

“Oh! Uh...thanks!” Marin looked around. “Are you done with your set already?”

She nodded. “My keyboard is up there, and everything is ready to go. Marin, I, uh.” Adrienne tried to fight the blush that was overtaking her face. “I overheard your conversation with Luka.” She looked away, embarrassed. “I’m sorry...”

“Oh...pfff, yeah, that? I mean. Yeah. That happened. Guess I actually might be able to move on, huh?” Marin, noticing Adrienne's distinct look of concern, placed a hand on her arm. “Hey. Are you okay?”

“Don’t!” 

Marin looked shocked. “I’m sorry?” He narrowed his eyes. 

“I...don’t want you to move on.” 

“ _ Excuse me? _ ” Marin looked slightly offended. He looked up at her in disbelief.

Adrienne turned her face away, her voice lower and more gravelly than the one that charmed everyone on contact. Her honest voice, laid bare for Marin. “Because the truth is that  _ I’m _ ready to move on. After the Ladybeetle fiasco, I still love him to death, but now...now I can also tell you that I love you too.”

Marin stayed there. He was rooted to the spot. For the first time since that closet, he didn’t know what to say. “Adrienne, I.” Past Marin would have shut up and said yes. Past Marin would be shaking present Marin to do the same. _But past Marin isn’t here right now._ “I...”

She blinked in the long silence “it’s..it’s fine if you don’t feel the same. I just...I dunno. I had to try.” She looked down at her shoes.

“No, I do...god, this would be so much easier if I didn’t. But-“ Marin pursed his lips and placed his tray on the catering table. “But you want to-“

“Marin! Adrienne! Come on, we got to go! We have an afterparty in thirty minutes! Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”

She nodded and yelled back. “We’ll be right there!” She turned back to him and smiled. “You don’t have to give me an answer right now. Do you want a lift to the after-party, though?”

Marin gave a nod. “Yeah. Sure.”


	2. Chapter 2

The air was still as they got into the chlorine-scented limo. Marin was paying an unusual amount of attention to the view outside of the window instead of the arguably much better view sitting right next to him.

Adrienne sighed. “Please, if you’re not going to say yes, is there any chance you can forget I said anything? You could be happy with Luka, and our friendship wouldn’t have to get all awkward. I just had to try!”

Marin shook his head. “That’s not the issue, Adrienne. It’s that I do still have feelings for you and that I might say yes to you. It’s just...” He closed his eyes. “I...” He sighed, shaking his head again. “Nevermind, it’s stupid.”

“It's clearly not stupid, or you wouldn’t be this stressed over it. If it matters to you, it matters to me.” She put a hand on his leg. “There’s probably tons of problems we’ll face. But I want to face them if I get to be with you.”

Marin looked down at the hand on his leg, wondering if he should move it aside or place his own hand on top of hers. He decided on just letting it stay there. “...Why?”

“Why?” She furrowed her brow. “You still don’t get it, do you? Because I  _ like _ you. Because you’re  _ worth _ the fights we’ll have, and you’re  _ worth _ sorting out complicated feelings. Because I want to. I get you don’t always trust your own feelings. But can you trust the strength of mine?”

“Right,” nodded Marin as the car pulled up to the boat. Marin got out and extended his hand to Adrienne, giving a crooked smile and wondering if he could enjoy the party, given what had happened.

She took a deep breath and nodded as she took his hand, stepping out of the limo. “Ready?”

She smiled and took his arm as they walked up the ramp of the boat. “Hey, guys!” She grinned at their bandmates, playing and dancing around on The Liberty. Julian walked up to the pair. “What took you so long?” He raised an eyebrow curiously.

“Er...” Marin looked at Adrienne. “Traffic?”

“Traffic.” She confirmed, lying seamlessly with a winning smile. “But we’re here now!” She grinned. “How much did we miss?”

“Not too much. Just one. One bottle of tequila.” A tipsy Ross motioned the two onto the boat. “C’mon, get drunk! Start dancing!”

_ Oh boy. _ Alcohol and love confessions were never a good combination.  _ This should get interesting _ . Adrienne sighed with a shrug and a smile. “When in Rome?”

“When in Rome,” said Marin, reaching for a bottle of vodka. “Here we go.” He poured a Dixie cup full of vodka to the brim. He would need it. “Cheers.”

“I’m calling you in the morning to make sure you’re still alive after you drink that.” She laughed and clinked her glass to his.

“Yeah, I’m gonna need that toast.” Marin downed his glass in one go. “So...what do you wanna do? I think Ivana’s setting up a karaoke station. It’s going to be bad if I go up there, though...”

She watched with horrified fascination as he downed his glass. “With how drunk everyone is, I very much doubt that they’ll be able to tell if you’re in the right key or not.”

“It’s like you’re saying I should go on up there.”

“You  _ should _ go on up there,” she confirmed with a grin. “You’ve heard all of us in the band, let us hear you!”

“I’m not a  _ part _ of the band, I’m just the guy who makes the clothes,” protested Marin. “C’mon, what’ll you do if I go up there?”

She raised a mischievous eyebrow. “What do you want me to do if you go up there? All my cards are on the table already”

_ Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope.  _ “Fine, I guess I’ll go up there. You owe me one, kay?”

“Deal,” Adrienne smirked, grabbing a seat in front of the platform Ivana set up the Karaoke station on, giving him a reassuring thumbs-up.

"Marin, are you going first?" Ross looked impressed. Marin slowly nodded. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"Good on you!" Luka grabbed the console. "What'll it be?"

"Hmmm..." Marin pointed to one on the list that was a little farther down. "That one."

"Are you sure?" Marin nodded. "Yeah, it sounds good. I'm a crying drunk, so this is a good song for that." Luka slowly nodded. "Uh...okay. Whatever you say." 

She pressed the button, and the song began playing. Marin closed his eyes, and the whole room went silent. The only audible thing was the instrumental accompaniment and the sounds of people still outside, upstairs on the deck of the boat. Then- _ two, three, four- _

_ "There's a place in the sun for anyone _

_ Who has the will..." _

“-Woo!”

“Yeah, Marin!”

Adrienne leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and her chin on her hands as she watched Marin with an admiring smile. She gave him a wink as she took another sip of her drink.  _ He should sing more often. He has a  _ gorgeous _ voice. But why does it sound so sad? Must be the song.  _ She found herself confused.  _ Why’d he pick out a sad song in the first place? _

Marin stared down at her, missing a beat as he saw her look up at him.  _ I can't believe it. But just when she's about to...I feel awful _ . His eyes began to become heavy with moisture, but he sang on.

" _ So, close your eyes _

_ And think of someone you physically admire _

_ And let me kiss you, oh. _

_ Let me kiss you, oh _ ." 

Everything drowned out; it was just him, the song, and her now.

She kept her eyes on him and only him, nothing else mattered in that moment anyway. She could see the glisten in his eyes.  _ You don’t have to cry, Marin. You can, but everything is absolutely perfect. You are perfect in this moment. For me, at least. _

" _ I zigzagged all over America _

_ And I cannot find _

_ A safety haven _

_ Say, would you let me cry on your shoulder _

_ I've heard that you'd try anything twice- _ " 

Marin bowed his head, the tears started to free-fall as he ended that last note early. He realized that no matter how much she propped him up, he'd always be second place. Second place to himself-but she'd never love him wholeheartedly. Not unless... _ oh, no.  _ And at that moment, he realized-or got the hint.  _ She knows. She could know. How she found out was a mystery, but why else would she be falling all over him like this? _

Adrienne looked up at him, concern for his tears, but there was no judgment in her eyes.  _ It’s okay. You’re okay _ . Everything in her wanted to reach out to him, but this was his moment. He had to work through whatever the music was bringing out in him. She had to sit in the chair and project her support with a gentle smile.

" _ But then you open your eyes- _ " 

And there it was, his voice cracking. Alain and Julian raised their hands in concern, but nobody would stand up to help Marin, to get him off the stage.

" _ -And you see someone that you physically despise; _

_ But my heart is open _

_ My heart is open to you- _ " 

He placed the mic in its cradle, hugging himself and walking quickly to the bathroom, whispering a faint 'thank you' to the audience.  _ She knows. She knows _ . He looked around, searching for the bathroom, opening the door and locking it behind him. "Tikki? Do you think-"

“I don’t know, Marin. I really don’t.” Tikki’s small voice was resigned as she floated next to Marin’s head, putting a little hand on Marin’s shoulder. “If she doesn’t, do you want to tell her?”

"Ever since that night in the closet, I've always wanted to tell her." Marin squeezed his eyes shut. "But I know you'd stop me. You've always wanted to stop me. Forcing me to do impossible things so I can be happy..."

Tikki sighed, closing her eyes. “But you’re not happy right now. So what’s the point of all that?” She patted his shoulder gently. “I wanted you to accept yourself as Marin and Ladybeetle. But you couldn’t do that as long as you refused to believe Marin was as worthy as Ladybeetle. But my good intentions didn’t help you with that.” 

Marin sniffled, looking at himself in the mirror. "I'm just thinking...there's no way everything could be going this well without something like that coming up."

“Marin. Adrienne isn’t here just for Ladybeetle. Even if she does know, she came here for  _ you _ .”

"Did you hear what she said?" Marin looked up at her. "She tells me she doesn't want me to move on. She tells me that she still loves Ladybeetle, even after he-after I-treated her. How can I-I don't want to be second place. I don't want her to settle by dating me. Is that selfish of me?"

He hugged himself again. "I know I'm not good at the things that he's good at. Marin can't fight. He can't play sports. He's not athletic, he wouldn't jump into the mouth of a T-Rex-"

“But you did, Marin! That was you! The suit adds a bit of protection, but it’s still  _ you _ inside it!” She shook her head. “You’re overthinking this. She said she didn’t want you to move on from your crush on her because  _ she likes you back _ . Adrienne isn’t the type of girl to settle-”

“How do I know-”

“You need to trust her! You need to trust her love for you. That’s what love is. Trusting the other person that they’ll do right by you.”

"Right." Marin stood up. "I should...I should go. I think I've ruined Luka's party far enough..." Marin opened the door as Tikki disappeared into his back pocket.  _ Huh. Speak of the devil, and she should appear. “ _ Hey, Luka.”


	3. Chapter 3

Luka crossed her arms, glaring at Marin with pursed lips. “Don’t. Marin, I heard you sing, I heard  _ what you sang _ -”

“Wait, you know Morrissey?” Marin looked almost impressed. “ _ Of course I’ve listened to Morrissey! _ And Marin, I’ve ran from a mic the same way enough times to know that you’re pulling an act with me right now.” Her arms dropped, and her voice softened. They stood there in silence, with the party blaring around them before Luka flung her arms around him in a hug. “And you don’t have to.”

"No, no, please, It's just..." Marin shook his head. "Adrienne came up to me today and...and she confessed to me, only a few hours after you did. She likes me back." He pursed his lips nervously. "I'm sorry, it's...it's been a day."

“Ah.” Luka nodded thoughtfully as the two parted. “That does explain it.” She shifted her weight and looked at him. “So, why're you keeping her waiting?”

"Because I...there's you, and...”

“Marin. Don’t let me get in your way. I mean it. I care about you, but if we’re just good friends, that’s plenty for me.”

“And...”

“There’s an ‘and’?”

“I have some proof that might suggest that her feelings for me aren't all that genuine." Marin nodded his head.

“How so? She cares about you. She’s  _ worried _ for you-”

"Yes, she cares about me, and she might have a crush on me, but I want to be first in her eyes. I...I know that's so weird and desperate of me. I should be satisfied with what I have, right?"

“And do you have proof?” She raised an eyebrow. “Or is it the little voice in your head that just constantly tells you you’ll never be good enough? Because he needs to shut up. You should come first. There’s absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t. Or why you couldn’t.”

Marin smiled. "Thanks, Luka." He opened his arms for a hug. "It's gonna be okay between us, right?"

“Of course. Always.” She giggled and stepped into his hug, wrapping her arms around him tightly. “You’re gonna be fine!” 

She stepped back and pointed towards the door, giving him a small push. “Now go. She’s waiting for you.”

Marin walked out into the deck of the boat. It was full of people, but Adrienne was there on the side of the ship, on her own.  _ She knows _ , thought Marin.  _ Of course she knows _ .

He walked over to her, a smile gracing his lips. "Hey!"

She turned around from looking off the side, gazing at the rippling water below. “Oh, you’re back!” She smiled. “Sorry? I would have followed to check on you, but I didn’t know if that would make it better or worse.”

"Um. I guess a bit of both." Marin grinned. "So. How'd you figure it out?"

She tilted her head. “Figure what out?”

"Well, I thought you'd be angry after all that's happened between us, so I was a little surprised that you'd still not only forgive me but still have feelings for me." 

“Angry? Why would I be angry with you? If anyone has a right to be angry, it should be you. I wasn’t exactly as gentle with my words as I could have been.”

Marin shrugged. "Point taken. But I have to ask, how did you figure out...you know."

She shook her head, thinking back to when he confessed his feelings for her in the closet what seemed like forever ago. “Sorry, what do you mean by ‘how did I figure it out’? It was pretty obvious.”

Marin’s eyes widened. "Oh, you mean...no, not my crush. Something a little more important that we can't discuss openly on this boat? Something a little more...superhero-y?" Marin sighed.

“Oh, you mean Ladybeetle?” She tilted her head. “Listen, Marin, our little...fling, I guess you’d call it. I just-all I know is that I want to be with you. Ladybeetle...” she trailed off and shook her head, not knowing how to explain it.

"Yeah, Ladybeetle. Me. You know. How did you figure it out?"

“Ladybeetle..you? Wait...What?” Her eyes widened. “Marin-you-Ladybeetle- _ hold on, what _ ?”

"What? I thought you-" And then it hit him. " _ You didn't know _ ?!"

“Would I be freaking out like this if I already knew?” She ran a hand through her hair, forcing herself to take slow, deep breaths. “You were Ladybeetle this whole time?”

"Adrienne? Adrienne! Calm down. People are here..." Marin led her to a quiet corner of the boat, where no one-next to no one-could hear. "Oh, god.  _ You didn't already know _ ?"  _ I messed up, _ thought Marin.  _ I really messed up _ !

“No, I didn’t know! How would I have!?” She hissed as she tried to keep her voice down. “You think I would have been this stressed if I just confessed to the guy I like knowing he was also the guy I liked and dated with an unfortunate breakup that I got through just to fall for him again minus the skintight spandex?!?”

"How would you have? It was a guess! Cause I'm a little stressed and confused too! Cause I got rejected by a girl I liked only to have the same girl jump into my arms not twenty-four hours later simply because I had put on said skintight spandex! Then, when I had to dump that same girl because I couldn't date her wearing skintight spandex, she immediately jumps back into my arms when I'm not wearing that suit!" 

Marin sighed. "And I mean...I don't blame you for not knowing. There is a large difference between us two. A large,  _ large _ difference. I thought you found out because I didn’t think you’d be attracted to me if you  _ didn’t _ know."

“What? Marin, Marin, I...I don’t know what to say-” 

Marin nodded and took off his earrings. "Tikki. I renounce you." He held the earrings tight in his hand over the water, about to drop them. 

Her eyes widened, and she shook her head. “Marin, no! Why?”

"Adrienne?"

She grabbed his hand that held the miraculous, holding it in both of hers. “We’ve got our issues to work out. But regardless, Paris needs Ladybeetle. That’s selfish to doom them because we’re dumb teenagers with too many complicated feelings!”

Marin gave her a sad smile. “That's not what I'm asking," said Marin, his face oh so close to hers. "But it's a hypothetical. If I were to drop these into the water, I need to know you wouldn't love me any less." His eyes were sparkling with tears; it was selfish, but he needed to know. "Please."

“Oh, Marin,” she breathed, reaching to cup his cheek gently with her hand. “That’s not it at all! There’s nothing you could do to make me love you any less. Even if we returned these to the guardian tonight, it would still just be you and me.” 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, you dummy! I liked both of you because you’re both so  _ similar _ . Now I know it’s because you’re the same person. I turned Marin down for Ladybeetle because I was kind of blind. I was closer to that side of you, and I became closer when we started dating. But after all that...happened, those blinders were gone. And I realized how stupid I had been to overlook Marin because I had Ladybeetle so high up on this pedestal. And I know we’re partners in battle, but...now I wanna be partners in life, too.”

Marin froze. She lost him at 'partners.'  _ Wait, partners could only mean- _ "Wait. Part-  _ Chat Noire _ ?"

Her eyes widened, and she clapped her hand over her mouth, but it was far too late. “Uhhh...surprise?”

Marin sighed. "So. What now?" He took a sudden interest in the water.

“Isn’t it obvious?” She smiled, and her green eyes shimmered. “To hell with the earrings and spots and spandex. Your ass looks just as good in jeans anyway.” A choked giggle rose in her throat.

"What a coincidence, so does yours." A light blush dusted Marin's cheeks as he hoped he hadn't gone too far.

She laughed, smiling at his adorable blush. “Would you think it would be too forward to ask to kiss you? I promise it’s not just the Rosé talking.” 

Marin stepped back coquettishly. “Don't you think we’re going a little fast?”

She giggled, remembering the last time they had that conversation. It only felt like yesterday when they had it. “Maybe we should go a little slower. I mean, we don’t  _ really _ know each other, do we?”

Marin let out a long sigh of relief, before straightening up to full height. He was still an inch or two shorter, but that didn’t matter now. None of it did. He grinned. “Thanks. I needed that. And I think I’m going to need this-” 

He got on his tippytoes ever so slightly, placing his arms around Adrienne’s waist and placing a kiss on her lips. He closed his eyes and let her take control, taking him with every breath and heartbeat. They separated, their foreheads together with bright smiles on their faces. “So now that that’s out of the way, uh-let’s get to know each other better.”


End file.
